Episode 22 Mastermind

First in the spotlight, Ged Meheran, a standards manager from Swindon. His subject is Harold Wilson.

Geraldine Walters, a teacher from Gloucester, answering questions on Eleanor of Aquitaine.

Mike Clark is answering questions on the American TV comedy Seinfeld.

And Michael O'Callaghan, an internet project manager from London with Beethoven.

Hello. Welcome to Mastermind, with me, John Humphrys.

Four more contenders take television's ultimate test of nerve and knowledge

in the famous black chair.

They answer two minutes of questions on their specialist subject

then two and a half minutes on general knowledge.

The winner goes through to the semi final and is a step closer to owning the great glass bowl.

But the real prize is the honour of becoming the nation's Mastermind.

Let's ask our first contender to join us please.

And your name is?

And your occupation?

And your chosen subject?

Harold Wilson. While celebrating the result of the Labour leadership election in 1963,

Wilson asked his supporters to toast "the man who is not here, the man who should have done it."

Who was he referring to?

-GDH Cole.

-Nye Bevan.

Wilson was elected to Parliament aged 29 and joined the Government in which ministry

before becoming the youngest cabinet minister in a century two years later?

-The Ministry of Food.

-Ministry of Works.

When Gaitskell became leader of the Labour Party, he appointed Wilson to which post in the cabinet?

-Minister of Board and Trade.

-Chancellor.

Wilson felt one of his great successes was establishing the Open University.

Which minister set it up?

-Baroness Lee.

-Yes, Jenny Lee.

In World War II, he was a statistician in which government department,

a sub-division of the Board of Trade?

-Ministry of Food.

-Department of Mines.

Wilson and Bevan resigned from the Cabinet in 1951

over proposals to introduce charges for spectacles and which other NHS items?

-Prescriptions.

-Dentures. When Wilson's government devalued the pound in 1967,

when he claimed the spending power of the pound in the pocket would not be reduced by the same amount

what became the new exchange rate?

-2.18?

-2.40.

Who chaired the Commission on Trade Unions which prompted Barbara Castle's White Paper

"In Place of Strife" which Wilson supported but couldn't secure the TUC's approval?

-Donovan.

-Soon after devaluation he faced a Cabinet revolt

over the embargo on arms sales to which country?

-South Afr... Rhodesia.

-No, South Africa. Right first time.

What's the name of Harold and Mary Wilson's older son

born in 1943 who became a professor of mathematics?

-Robin.

-What name was given to the agreement between Labour and the unions adopted in the '70s?

-The Social Contract.

-The '63 party conference was held in which town

where Wilson made a speech about the "white heat" of the scientific revolution?

-Scarborough.

-After the '66 election, the pound was weakened by a strike

called by which union, leading Wilson to intimate that its leaders were motivated by Communism?

-The seamen.

-What title did Marcia Williams, his personal and political secretary take

when she was elevated to the peerage?

-Baroness Falkender.

-Yes, Lady Falkender.

-You had no passes. Ged Meheran, you have seven points.

-Thank you.

And our next contender, please.

And your name is?

Your occupation?

And your specialist subject?

Eleanor of Aquitaine in two minutes.

Eleanor married the future Henry II in 1152. To which French king was she previously married?

-Louis the Seventh.

-Her Uncle Raymond was the ruler of which principality

where Eleanor and Louis stayed when they reached the Holy Land in 1148?

-Antioch.

-When Eleanor and Henry arrived in London,

Westminster Palace was uninhabitable. Where did they set up their court?

-Bermondsey.

-The breakdown of Henry's marriage to Eleanor

is often blamed on his involvement with one of his mistresses,

who became the subject of many legends. Who was she?

-Rosamund de Clifford.

-At Easter 1146,

who preached on the subject of the new crusade at Vezelay where Louis and Eleanor both took up the cross?

-Bernard of Clairvaux.

-On the second crusade in 1148,

King Louis' army was ambushed and cut to pieces

by the Turks crossing a mountain that Eleanor had already crossed. Which mountain?

-Cadmos.

-Which princess of Navarre married Eleanor's son Richard?

Eleanor escorted her to the south of Italy to meet him in 1191.

-Berengaria.

-What was the name of Eleanor's own dock on the Thames

once used by Henry I's wife Matilda?

-Queenhithe.

-According to the chronicler Gervais of Canterbury,

what was Eleanor wearing when captured in 1173 by local men still loyal to Henry?

-Men's clothing.

-What was the name of the brothers who ambushed Eleanor near Poitiers in 1168

-in retribution for the loss of their fortress to Henry?

-Pass.

During her long imprisonment by Henry, one servant she had was her maid. Her name was?

-Amaria.

-In the "Prophecies of Merlin", popular among 12th-century chroniclers,

which bird represents Eleanor?

-Eagle.

-In 1137, Eleanor married Louis VII at the Cathedral of Saint Andre in which city?

-Bordeaux.

-When Eleanor became Queen of France, her mother-in-law retired to Compiegne.

What was her name?

-Adelaide.

-When Richard was invested as Duke of Aquitaine at Limoges,

he was given the ring of a saint. Who was the saint?

-Radegund.

-No, Valerie. In which abbey church is Eleanor buried?

She may have retired there as a nun before her death in 1204.

-Fontevrault.

-Correct. You had just one pass.

The name of the brothers who ambushed Eleanor -

Geoffrey and Guy de Lusignan.

You have, Geraldine Walters, 14 points.

Our next contender, please.

Your name is?

Your occupation?

And your specialist subject?

-The US sitcom, Seinfeld.

-Seinfeld. Two minutes, starting now.

At the end of the ninth series, the four main characters face trial

for what crime?

It was for breaking the Good Samaritan law.

Yes, ignoring a fellow human being when in trouble.

When George loses his glasses in the gym,

what does he eat at Jerry's when looking for an apple?

-An onion.

-After Elaine rejects the advances of Russell Dalrymple, President of NBC,

he leaves his job and joins what other organisation to prove his worth?

-Greenpeace.

-Kramer and Costanzo develop an item of men's underwear.

Kramer wants to call it The Bro. What is Frank's name for it?

The Mansiere.

George is forced to buy a book when caught taking it to the toilet with him at the shop.

-What's the subject of the book?

-French Impressionism.

Jerry receives a heartfelt post-breakup letter from his girlfriend Nina.

He is moved by it until he realises it's been lifted from which Neil Simon screenplay?

-Chapter Two.

-At the circus, what noise disturbs the animals

and leads to Misha falling off the high wire?

It's Kramer passing a stone.

Yes, he screams. What single word does Jerry use as his reason

for returning his jacket to the Andover Shop?

The same word is used to explain why George's parents are moving to Florida.

-Spite.

-Elaine volunteers to visit an old lady

and is taken aback when the lady says she'd had an affair with which famous person?

-Mahatma Gandhi.

-When George starts seeing Jerry's ex-girlfriend Marlene,

what reason does she give for losing respect for him and ending the relationship?

-His stand-up routine.

-George tries to convince the social security officer

that he's making an effort to find work by claiming he's had an interview for what post?

-Latex salesman.

-When Jerry dates Elaine's friend Gillian,

what physical peculiarity puts him off?

-She looks like him?

-She has man hands!

The library contacts Jerry 20 years after he failed to return a copy of Tropic of Cancer.

What's the name of the library investigator handling the case?

-Mr Bookman.

-After Jerry and George are offered the pilot by NBC

for a joint fee of 13,000, George tries to negotiate. How much do they finally do it for?

-8,000.

-8,000. Some negotiation!

No passes, Mike Clark. You have 13 points.

And our final contender, please.

And your name is?

Your occupation?

And your specialist subject?

Beethoven, in two minutes.

For which instrumental chamber ensemble

did Beethoven compose works that would be published as Opus One?

-Piano Trio.

-With which 16-year-old piano pupil did he fall in love in 1801?

He dedicated The Moonlight Sonata to her.

-Giulietta Guicciardi.

-What sum of money did Prince Karl von Lichnowski

give Beethoven annually from around 1800 to 1806

while the composer remained without a position?

-4,000 florins.

-600 florins.

In 1801, Beethoven wrote a letter to which doctor revealing that he was losing his hearing?

-Wegeler.

-Which member of his family with whom he had a dispute, did Beethoven refer to

as The Queen of the Night?

-Johanna.

-According to his secretary, Anton Schindler,

which symphony is said to have prompted Carl Maria von Weber

to say that Beethoven was ready for the mad house?

-Seventh.

-For which violinist did he compose the sonata in A Major,

subsequently dedicated to Rodolphe Kreutzer?

-Bridgetower.

-Which of his pupils claimed to have annoyed him

by announcing that a horn player had made a wrong entry in the opening part of the Eroica symphony.

-Ries.

-What event of 1814 to 1815 led Beethoven to compose the cantata The Glorious Movement - Moment?

-Congress of Vienna.

-Beethoven wrote the famous love letters of 6th and 7th July

to an unnamed woman. By what two words has she become known?

-Immortal Beloved.

-Which Parisian piano and harp manufacturer

presented a new piano to him in 1803 that later fell into disrepair?

-Pass.

-According to his friend Karl Friedrich Amenda,

which Shakespeare play was in Beethoven's mind

when he composed the slow movement of the String Quartet F, Opus 18 No. 1?

-Romeo and Juliet.

-In the opening words of which document found after his death

does Beethoven imagine that he wrongly appears to the world

as malevolent, stubborn or misanthropic?

-Heiligenstadt Testament.

-Who was the singer who reputedly turned down

-a proposal of marriage as he was "ugly and half-crazy"?

-Pass.

Whose maxim was Beethoven quoting when he wrote in his conversation book of 1820,

"The moral law in us and the starry sky above us."

-Immanuel Kant.

-Correct.

You have two passes. The singer who turned down his marriage proposal was Magdalena Willmann.

And the Parisian piano manufacturer was Sebastian Erard.

You have, Michael O'Callaghan, 12 points.

That brings us to the end of the first round. Let's look at the scores.

In fourth place with seven points, Ged Meheran.

In third place, 12 points, Michael O'Callaghan.

Second place, 13 points, Mike Clark.

In the lead, just, 14 points Geraldine Walters.

General knowledge now. If there's a tie at the end of the round

then the number of passes is taken into account.

The person with the fewer passes is the winner.

If they're tied on passes as well, there will be a tie-break.

So let's get on and ask Ged Meheran to join us again, please.

You begin this round with seven points with your knowledge of Harold Wilson.

General knowledge. Two and a half minutes.

Which elite military unit was founded by the Scots' Guards officer David Stirling in 1941?

-The SAS.

-Which clipper ship moored at Greenwich

is named after the short-tailed shirt worn by the witch in Burns' poem Tam O'Shanter?

-Cutty Sark.

-What is the name of the side opposite the 90-degree angle of a right-angled triangle?

-Hypotenuse.

-Which football club's team and supporters are known as the Toon Army?

-Newcastle United.

-Which variety of English pear is called the Bartlett in North America

after Enoch Bartlett introduced them in the 19th century?

-Conference.

-Williams. Who starred in the title role in the 2011 remake of Arthur?

-Russell Brand.

-Lake Manzala, Lake Timsah and the Bitter Lakes

are alongside or form part of which waterway?

-Suez Canal.

-Which 17th-century sculptor was commissioned by Pope Urban VIII

to design the gilt-bronze baldachin or canopy

that stands over the tomb of St Peter in Rome?

-Michelangelo.

-Bernini. Who became president of Iraq in 1979

on the resignation of Ahmad Hasan al-Bakr?

-Sadam Hussein.

-In which classic breakfast dish

are eggs served with bacon or ham and Hollandaise sauce on a toasted muffin?

-Eggs Benedict.

-Which Canadian singer-songwriter wrote Suzanne

which was covered by Judy Collins in '66?

-Leonard Cohen.

-The E numbers in the range E300 to E321

include agents that prevent fatty foods from going rancid in storage.

-What are they called?

-Antibodies.

-Antioxidants.

In the 2011 ICC World Cup England lost to Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and which other country?

-Ireland.

-Which actor returned to his roots in one of his final roles

as the working-class Manchester barrister James Kavanagh QC?

-John Thaw.

-In classical mythology who was the muse of epic poetry?

-Diana.

-Calliope. In which Norfolk seaside resort is there a 140-foot Nelson's monument

that was built 24 years before the column in Trafalgar Square?

-Yarmouth.

-Which Russian composer's first symphony

features movements subtitled Dreams of a Winter Journey and Land of Desolation, Land of Mists?

-Tchaikovsky.

-What title given to the sorceress Ayesha in Rider Haggard's novel

has passed into popular culture as the name by which Horace Rumpole refers to his wife?

-She Who Must Be Obeyed.

-The colour blindness test that involves identifying a number

printed in coloured spots among spots of another colour

is named after the Japanese ophthalmologist who devised it. What's it called?

-Ishihara test.

-In 1603, James VI of Scotland became the first monarch of which royal house

to rule England when he was crowned James I?

-Stuarts.

-What term derived from the Latin is used for an animal with two feet?

-Biped.

-Yes. No passes.

You have, Ged Meheran, 24 points.

Michael O'Callaghan again now please.

You start out with 12 points with your knowledge of Beethoven.

General knowledge. Here we go.

Which breed of dog takes its name from the Mexican state

where it was first noted in the mid-19th century?

-Chihuahua.

-What French word literally meaning burnt

is used for a dessert with a crisp coating of caramelised sugar?

-Brulee.

-Who died on 24 January 1965 exactly 70 years after his father Lord Randolph?

-Winston Churchill.

-In which country is Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest mountain?

-Ethiopia.

-Tanzania. Which ornamental highly poisonous evergreen shrub with red or white flowers

is also known as rose-bay or rose-laurel?

-Pass.

-Who replaced Jeremy Paxman as the regular presenter of the Radio 4 programme Start the Week in 2002?

-Andrew Marr.

-In which country did the revolutionaries of the 26th July Movement seize power in 1959?

-Cuba.

-Which strong-smelling cheese is named after the Belgian province where it was made by Trappist monks?

-Gorgonzola.

-Limburger. In Six Nations rugby union,

what trophy is awarded if one of the four home teams beats the other three?

-Pass.

-Which two-act opera ends with the words "The comedy is ended" sung by Canio

who has just murdered his wife and her lover?

-La Traviata.

-Pagliacci. Which of the Channel Islands is ruled by an overlord

known as Seigneur when male, and the Dame when female?

-Sark.

-Who designed a dolls' house for Queen Mary between 1921 and '24

which includes a wine cellar, hot and cold running water and working lifts?

-Pass.

-Which musical with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and music by Jule Styne

is loosely based on the autobiography of a celebrated American striptease artist?

-Pass.

-Which German film-maker is best remembered for her documentary films of the 1930s

extolling the Nazi party? Her works included a two-part film on the 1936 Olympics?

-Leni Riefenstahl.

-In the novels by P.G.Wodehouse,

what kind of animal is Lord Emsworth's Empress of Blandings?

-A pig.

-Which writer's book A Rose for Winter published in 1955

tells of his return to Spain with his wife 15 years after the Civil War

in which he fought on the Republican side?

-Pass.

-In Greek mythology, who was the wife of the musician Orpheus?

-Eurydice.

-Which small Italian dumplings made from semolina or potato flour

are usually served poached with a sauce?

-Gnocchi.

-The inhabitants of which English city are known as Wulfrunians?

-Pass.

-The heads of the Scottish government, the Welsh assembly and the Northern Ireland executive

are known by what title?

-First minister.

-Correct.

You have six passes. Wulfrunians come from Wolverhampton.

Laurie Lee, A Rose for Winter.

Gypsy was the name of the musical by Sondheim and Styne.

Sir Edward Lutyens designed the dolls' house.

The Six Nations rugby union, it's the Triple Crown if one home team beats the others.

And the ornamental but highly poisonous shrub is the Oleander.

Six passes. You have, Michael O'Callaghan, 23 points.

Now Mike Clark again, please.

You begin this round with 13 points.

24 still the score to beat. See if you can do it with your general knowledge.

Which former Conservative cabinet minister known as Tarzan

has a written memoirs called Life in the Jungle?

-Michael Heseltine.

-Which Shakespearean character goes insane and drowns

-after her rejection by Hamlet?

-Jessica.

Ophelia. Who produced seven chart-topping singles in 1963 including three by the Beatles?

-George Martin.

-What's the world's highest uninterrupted waterfall?

It lies on the Corun River in Venezuela and is named after the first outsider to see it?

-Angel Falls.

-In which fictional outer London suburb is Railway Cuttings,

the radio and TV home of Anthony Aloysius Hancock?

-Cheam.

-East Cheam.

-Whose cries of "We're all right" at a rally in Sheffield in 1992

are thought to have contributed to his party's defeat in the general election that year?

-Skinner.

-Neil Kinnock. In which part of the human body are the round window and the oval window?

-The eye.

-The ear. Which 19th-century Czech composer wrote the operas Dalibor and The Bartered Bride?

-Smetana.

-What term originally referring to salting

is used for pickling herrings in a marinade of vinegar or brine?

-Marinade.

-Sousing. The bishop of which English city

signs himself with his first name followed by Petriburg?

-Peterborough.

-In American politics, John Boehner succeeded Nancy Pelosi

in what influential post after the 2010 mid-term elections?

-Governor General?

-Speaker of the House of Representatives.

In the 2011 film, which Marvel comic superhero played by Christopher Hemsworth

is made to live among humans?

-Thor.

-The victims of which executioner, notorious for his bungling inefficiency

include William, Lord Russell and the Duke of Monmouth?

-Derek...

-Jack Ketch. On the cover of the album The Who Sell Out

Roger Daltrey is sitting in a bath full of?

-Baked beans.

-Which snooker player who won his fourth World Championship in 2011

is known as the Wizard of Wishaw, the town where he was born?

-Peter Ebdon.

-John Higgins. Which novel by Len Deighton

is set in 1941 after the Nazis have overrun the British Isles?

-The Eagle Has Landed.

-SS-GB.

The Belgian priest Father Damien who died in 1889 and was canonised in 2009

devoted his life to sufferers from what disease?

-Leprosy.

-Short-horn, stump rooted, intermediate and long rooted

are types of which common vegetable?

-Carrot.

-Which annual civic procession dating back to the time of King John

still features a golden state coach built in 1757?

-State Opening of Parliament?

-The Lord Mayor's Show.

The first volume of which brothers' work, Kinder und Hausmarchen or Children's and Household Tales

was published in 1812?

-The Brothers Grimm.

-In...

-BUZZER

-I've started so I'll finish.

In 1986, work began in Essex to expand and develop which London airport

-after a lengthy public enquiry?

-Stansted.

-Correct.

No passes. Mike Clark, you have 24 points.

Finally, Geraldine Walters again, please.

You begin with 14 points. The score to beat - 24.

Let's see if you can do it. Two and a half minutes of general knowledge.

Who won a Best Actress Oscar on her film debut for the title role in Mary Poppins?

-Julie Andrews.

-In 2011, the British gardener James Priest took over as head of which French artist's garden

-in Normandy, famous for its waterlilies?

-Pass.

Which city is the capital of the US state of Georgia?

-Atlanta.

-The exaggerated back-combed hairstyle prominent in the early '60s

is known by what name because of its shape?

-Beehive.

-Which village in the Forest of Dean has a 500-foot-high rock,

a viewing point for the vast loop of the River Wye?

-Symonds Yat.

-Which writer's first novel White Teeth was published in 2000?

-Pass.

In cookery, what name for thin light sauce of pureed vegetables or fruit

comes from a French word meaning strained liquid?

-Compote.

-Coulis. Which Swedish figure skater who gives his name to a skating turn

-won the first Olympic gold medal awarded for the sport in 1908?

-Axel.

Salchow. Which Gilbert and Sullivan operetta has the alternate title, The Lass that Loved A Sailor?

-Pirates of Penzance.

-HMS Pinafore. What's the alternative scientific name for the African violet?

-Pass.

-In 1967, Britain reluctantly agreed to add the letter E to the name of which aircraft

the technology minister Tony Benn said it stood for excellence, England, Europe and entente.

-Boeing.

-Concorde. Coloured powder and water are thrown by Hindus celebrating which spring festival

in February or March each year?

-Holi.

-Who lost his seat at Tatton to Martin Bell in the '97 election

-after being at the centre of a cash for questions controversy?

-Pass.

Which romantic novel begins "1801. I have just returned from a visit to my landlord

-"the solitary neighbour that I shall be troubled with."

-Pass.

What is the common name for Alpha Canis Majoris, the brightest star in the night sky?

-The Pole Star.

-The Dog Star. Which building on O'Connell Street in Dublin

was at the centre of the Easter Rising of 1916?

-Pass.

-Whose acting roles include the MI5 agent Zoe Reynolds in Spooks

and Detective Inspector Alex Drake in Ashes to Ashes?

-Pass.

-Which famous South American soldier and statesman was born in Caracas in 1783?

-Pass.

-Which of Rossini's operas is known in Italian as La Gazza Ladra?

-Pass.

-In 1774 the astronomer Nevil Maskelyn

used the conical-shaped Scottish mountain Schiehallion in a famous experiment

to measure the weight of what?

-The moon.

-The Earth.

You had nine passes. The Thieving Magpie is La Gazza Ladra.

Simon Bolivar was born in 1783.

Keeley Hawes played Zoe Reynolds and so on.

It was the General Post Office that was at the centre of the Easter Rising in 1916.

Wuthering Heights began, "1801. I have just returned..."

Neil Hamilton lost his seat to Martin Bell.

The alternative name to the African violet is Saintpaulia.

Zadie Smith wrote White Teeth

and James Priest took over as head of the garden in Normandy from Monet.

You have, Geraldine Walters, 19 points.

So, let's have a look at those scores.

In fourth place with 19 points, Geraldine Walters.

Third place, 23 points, Michael O'Callaghan.

Joint first place, 24 points and no passes,

Ged Meheran and Mike Clark.

They're not shaking hands because we don't have a winner. It's a tie break.

I shall read the same five questions to each contender

and the one with the higher score will win.

Let me ask Mike Clark to leave the studio

and Ged Meheran to come to the chair, please.

So, five tie-break questions. You have to answer immediately.

There's no clock running, but answer immediately

otherwise I'll take it as an incorrect answer.

Mahe Island is the largest of which archipelago in the Indian Ocean?

-The Seychelles.

-Correct.

In 1877, Spencer Gore became the first winner of which sporting championship?

-Heavyweight boxing.

-No, Wimbledon.

Which river is known as China's Sorrow because of its devastating floods?

-Yangtze.

-No, the Hwang, or Yellow River.

Karl Landsteiner won the 1930 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine

for his discovery of the four primary types of what?

-Colour.

-Blood.

In the Divine Comedy, which Roman poet conducted Dante through hell and purgatory?

-Virgil.

-Correct.

Those are your five question. Please leave the chair, and Mike Clark will join us.

I will ask you these five questions. Answer immediately.

Otherwise it's incorrect.

Mahe Island is the largest of which archipelago in the Indian Ocean?

-Galapagos.

-No, Seychelles.

-In 1877, Spencer Gore became the first winner of which sporting championship?

-Wimbledon.

Which river is known as China's Sorrow because of its devastating floods?

-Yangtze.

-The Yellow River.

Karl Landsteiner won the 1930 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine

for his discovery of the four primary types of what?

-Blood.

-Yes.

In the Divine Comedy, which Roman poet conducted Dante through hell and purgatory?

-Virgil.

-Correct.

Those are your five questions. Please return to your seat.

So at the end of the tie break, we do have a winner.

Let's look at the scores.

In second place with 26 points, Ged Meheran.

In first place with 27 points, Mike Clark.

Which means that Mike Clark goes through to the semi finals.

Congratulations to him. Please join us next time for more Masterminds.

Thanks for watching. Goodbye!

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